New Albany Sustainability Advisory

04/10/2023

Here's Mississippi’s landscape checklist for April! Some tasks include...

🌳Plant trees and shrubs.
➗Divide perennials.
❄️Remove freeze-damaged dead wood.
✂️Prune azaleas and camellias. (Once they finish blooming.)
🟤Mulch all plants.
🦋Plant milkweed for Monarch butterflies.
🌸Plant summer annuals.

Learn more about each of these tasks here: http://ow.ly/SXsY50Nxuhw

02/01/2023

01/27/2023

Mississippi State University shares tips on pruning roses. See their publication below:

Pruning your rose bushes is a late winter (January-early March) chore you shouldn’t overlook! Pruning helps shape the bush, remove dead canes, open the center for air flow, and stimulate new growth.
Some tips:
🌹You’ll need three tools: sharp pruners (never use anvil pruners), loppers, and thick, heavy gloves. Don’t neglect the gloves! You’ll be glad you had them when handling thorny stems.
🌹Keep in mind that most roses bloom on new wood. When making cuts, try following a line around the entire plant. If there are already new buds on the canes, make your cuts above buds pointing away from the center of the rose. Make your cuts at a downward 45-degree angle.
🌹You’ll want to remove any dead or damaged canes. These cuts can be made close to the base of the plant.
🌹You will also need to remove any canes cluttering the inside of the bush. Canes that are growing horizontal or are crossing other canes need to be removed. Opening up the middle of the bush promotes air circulation and reduces the risk of disease.
🌹When you finish pruning, discard your clippings and old leaf litter from around the base of the plant as diseases and pests can over winter in the litter. You can also put mulch or straw around the base of the plant if desired.
🎥We've got a great tutorial video you can watch here + links to further resources: http://ow.ly/Q40C50MuElG

07/05/2022

July pruning tips from MSU Extension Office.

07/05/2022

“My tomato plant looked fine yesterday. Today, it’s GONE!!” To***co hornworms and tomato hornworms attack tomato plants and occasionally peppers or eggplant.

The distinctive horn on the rear of the body makes this large, green caterpillar easy to identify. The species most commonly seen on tomatoes in Mississippi is the to***co hornworm, which usually has a reddish horn and seven white diagonal stripes on the side.

The tomato hornworm usually has a black or green horn and white V-shaped marks on the side. Mature larvae may reach 4 inches in length, and caterpillars of this size can quickly consume large amounts of leaf area.

Occasionally these caterpillars feed on fruit, but defoliation is the major type of injury. You rarely see the large, gray, night-flying moths. These jet-shaped moths lay their large, shiny eggs individually on the leaves of host plants.

As for management practices in small plantings, consider hand-picking eggs and caterpillars off the plant and disposing of them.

For more detailed control methods and information on insect pests of the home garden, read this Extension publication: http://ow.ly/CNaL50JN25u

06/15/2022

Watering in the morning when the temperatures are cool allows the water time to soak deeply into the soil before the heat of the day causes it to evaporate.
Early morning watering also means any water that gets on the leaves will evaporate quickly once the sun comes out. This helps prevent rot and fungal diseases.
A good drink of water in the morning will prepare your vegetable plants for the upcoming heat of the day.

Watering in the early evening avoids the heat of the day so the cooler temperatures allow more water to soak deeply into the root zone without evaporating.
The less intense sun means there will be less evaporation.
Be careful to keep water off the leaves, wet leaves won’t dry for a long time if you water in the evening, opening up the possibility for rot and fungal diseases like powdery mildew

03/23/2022

03/20/2022

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